an unusal weekend ahead

So -- I'm in a very unusual position for the weekend!  Mr. Steady and I are going to be home all alone!  It wasn't planned at all and now I'm trying to decide what to do with 2 1/2 days without children.  Hmmmm...

My 13 year old is going on a church trip beginning tomorrow right after school until Monday, and my 10 year old is going with a friend to their lake house. 

Exciting stuff!  I'll be making a list today so I that I make the most of my free time.    We don't have extra money (or energy right now) to do any traveling, otherwise it would be a great opportunity to take a quick weekend trip somewhere.  But, honestly, I am looking forward to just being home alone.

What would you do with an unexpected respite from your normal routine?  I'll have about 60 hours...

my 21 day challenge

January thru April were crazy busy for me this year.   But since we have gotten back from our vacation, I've been able to spend the month of May simply relaxing and taking care of my family and things around the house.  It's been really nice!  During my downtime I'm realizing that I needed to make my health a priority and now is a great time to get serious about it since I don't have too much extra stuff going on.

I truly wish that I could tackle my weight with the same passion and dedication that I tackled our debt.  It was so much easier for me to say "no" to spending money and "yes" to savings/debt reduction than it is for me to say "no" to food, and essentially saying "yes" to weight gain/poor health.   I've tried thinking of my extra weight as extra debt and it was a great kick start, but old habit eventually crept back up and the weight, of course, came back on.   What seems to work best (which is truly common sense) for me to lose weight is to eat whole foods, exercise daily, and have someone hold me accountable.  If you've read my blog for a while, you know that I'm constantly recommitting myself to weight loss.  And if you haven't been following me, you can simply do a search of "weight", see what comes up, and see that it's been an on-going struggle.  Will this time be different?  I honestly don't know.   But, I've got the time to focus on it now and I have you guys to keep me accountable. 

So, what's my plan?

I'm giving myself a challenge for the next 21 days.  I'm challenging myself to follow an eating plan that my (longtime ago...) personal trainer gave me in 2004.  The thing I love about this Meal Plan is that is shows what types of foods I need to have at each meal, along with how much I need to eat.  It's about 1450 calories a day.  For example, breakfast consists on 1 fruit (usually I would choose a banana, grapes or blueberries), 2 servings of milk (yogurt), 2 meats (2 egg whites and a string cheese), and 1 fat (a slice of bacon).  It ends up being a lot of food and a great way for me to start the day.  When I eat this way for breakfast I rarely need a snack before lunch!   Will I do this perfectly?  No...I know of a few social functions on the calendar where I'll want to eat something other than what's on the Plan.  But, my goal is to get right back on track after I have a fun night out.

Along with my Meal Plan, my goal is also to follow the running schedule that my marathon coach gave me back in 2003.  I haven't been exercising much this year, but the first 3 weeks of the running schedule are great for easing back into running.

Do you notice anything?  Back in 2003-2004, when my children were little, I had a trainer at the gym and was part of a running team with a coach.  Being healthy and having a healthy weight were so much more of a priority to me then.   I turned to exercise to relieve stress.  Now I turn to food and wine not only to relieve stress, but when I'm happy, when the weather's nice, and when I need a special treat!

So - 21 days, 3 weeks to commit to a healthy diet and exercise plan.  Of course I'm hoping to lose some weight, and in 21 days I'll be happy with the results and come up with a new challenge for the next 21 days.

If you have something you'd like to challenge yourself to over the next 21 days, let me know and we can support one another!

wasting time...

I sat down to the computer to write a post and got side tracked jumping from one thing to another.  (I'm sure that never happens to anyone else! )  Essentially, I'm wasting time.  So, instead of trying to think of what I want to write, and where to begin in telling you what I've been doing for the last 2 months, I'm going to jot down what I ought to be doing...and then go do it!  I've got basketball games to sit through this weekend, so perhaps I'll write a bit in between games?

I'm not sure if I can get all of this done today, so we'll make it my weekend list!


3 loads of laundry
Apply Round Up around fence line
Try and teach myself how to start and use the weed eater
Lay 20 bales of pine straw in flower beds
Water the front and back yards
Transplant fern from front porch to barrel under back porch
Tidy house (Mr. Steady and my FIL are coming in tonight from Las Vegas!)
Make sure guest bedroom and bath are both clean and ready for FIL
Change sheets on my bed
Write letter to a friend in my Bible Study group
Update expenditures on my $$ log
Go to Sam's
Take son to orthodontist appointment
Remember to get copy of contract at Ortho for our insurance
Think about logistics for starting a summer Bible Study at my house
Purchase tickets for my boys to fly to Texas in June
Remind oldest son to clean his bathroom and mow front yard
Remember to pick up my oldest from school since he's not riding bus today
Prepare snack bag for basketball tourney and figure out where we are going and what time we need to leave
Add to compost bin and turn it

I feel like I'm forgetting something, but this will at least give me a visual on what I should be doing instead of playing on the computer.

Y'all have a good Friday!  

hello again!

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day yesterday!

I have to admit that mine was bittersweet.  Mother's Day 2011 was the last time I saw my Mom before she passed away in January.  And I'm thrilled that I had the chance to share that weekend with her last year.  We went shopping together and I took her to lunch while my Dad, my hubby and my boys went to watch my youngest son play in a basketball tournament.  It was one of the nicest weekends I'd spent with my mom in years.

Yesterday was a day spent in introspect.  Our minister subtly challenged us Moms to be godly women who set good examples for our children.  I spent the day the day thinking about what I am doing and what I am not doing to set a good example for my boys, and asking myself if I'm being the kind of mom I want my boys to have.  All of these thoughts are going on in my mind while I'm missing my own Mom.  Needless to say it was an emotional day and I was thrilled when it was time to go to bed and let the day end!

So, today is a new day and I'm ready to be back after a much needed break from blogging (where I took a break from many organized and not so organized activities, and took a fabulous trip to Italy).   

I have a fresh perspective on things and am happy to be back to my neglected Steady Plodding site!

$2.50 well spent

We needed a touch of color on the back deck!  I think $2.50 is a small price to pay for some color that should last for several weeks!  And I love the way the yellow looks next to the blue chairs!

And then free from my garden...

 

What have you paid a small amount for (or gotten for free...) lately 

that brought you a lot of joy?

february recap

February was a bit crazier than I'd expected.  I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and sad during the month -- still a lot of sadness with the death of my mom and overwhelmed just trying to do day-to-day stuff on top of the sadness.  

I didn't complete my challenges that I'd hoped to do with Carla.  Such good intentions and I hope to make them up in the future.  I DID clean my craft closet and craft room though and will make a separate post about that in the future.  So, all was not totally lost on that!

I didn't focus 100% on finances but did somehow meet our overall goal.  YEA!!!  My main goal was to keep our expenses (not including mortgage, fill dirt/pine straw and vacation expenses) under $4117.  And you know what?!?.....

$4073.60 is what we spent!

I'm super excited, because even though we spent more on food than I would have liked ($300 over), we bought 2 new mattresses for a very good friend in need ($225), and we had to call a plumber to the house -- Mr. Steady put half a pot down of spaghetti down the drain instead of in the trashcan ($205), we spent less in other areas to make up the difference.  And that's what it's all about I think!  

We had awesome one-on-one trips with our boys!  Mr. Steady and my 10 year old went skiing in Colorado and my 13 year old and I went to Washington D.C.  Tons of fun and lots of great memories were made. I'll do a post on D.C. in the next week or so!

Now onto March!  I'm wanting March to be a quiet month.  We leave for Italy in about 6 weeks and I'd like to kind of catch my breath and catch up on some things around the house.  I hate to make a list of March To-Do's because part of me thinks that would add stress, but it may be more stressful for me not to have a List since I'm such a list maker!  So, I'll work on a list over the next couple of things of not so much what I want to accomplish in March, but what I want to accomplish before we go to Italy.

Now then, I'm signing off for now and am going to go hem a pair of pants for my son and tidy up around the house.  Since I cleaned on Tuesday, all I have to do is tidy and do a couple of loads of laundry! 

about 3.5 hours

That's how long it took me to clean the house yesterday.    I pretty much got all the furniture dusted, bathrooms clean, carpets vacuumed, floors swept, vacation/suitcases unpacked and everything put in its place, laundry sorted and started (didn't finish...), kitchen counters cleaned, dishes done, changed the sheets on all the beds, and swept the back porch.  It seems like I'm leaving something out, but you get the picture...basic cleaning stuff.

What did I not do?  Any of the boys chores.  I cleaned my son's bathroom floor, but saved the cleaning of the actual bathroom for him.  The dusting on the main floor is left for my youngest along with cleaning the bathroom down in the basement.  I tidied up the boys bedrooms when I changed the sheets on their beds, but the actual cleaning is being left for them.  And then there's the laundry....it really never is finished.

So, it took less time to do everything that I expected it to and it was really nice getting it all done in a day.  I think I'll keep doing it this way as long as I have a day to devote to it.  It's nice knowing that except for general cleaning and laundry that I'm done for the week.  Maybe by Friday I can sit and do some scrapbooking!

how long does it take to clean your house?

And I mean really clean?

I really don't like cleaning my house and always dread it.  I usually do a little bit every day just to break it up, but I'm wondering if I just did it ALL in one day how long would it really take? Sometimes dreading a project is much worse than the actual project itself.  Maybe if I just cleaned the entire house in a day and saw how long it took, it would actually be better than cleaning the bathrooms one day, doing laundry one day, the floors another day, etc.

So that is my project for today.  I'm going to clean my house from top to bottom.  I'll truly get after it and not mess around on the computer or stop to watch Good Morning America.  I want to see how long it takes me and I'll let you know!

Do you like cleaning?  Do you clean all in a day or do a little bit each day?

sunday night chit chat

Hello everyone!  It's nice to be HOME from our vacation!  I'm looking forward to getting back to my blog this week and think I'll start by joining Carla in her Sunday Night Chit-Chat!  Feel free to join in the fun -- check out Carla's blog for more details!

I'm starting with a picture from the fire I built last night with my 13 year old (I wish I would have moved my chair for the picture!!)  We love hanging out here!

What am I....

Reading?

Georgia Master Gardeners Handbook (Chapters on Communication/Leadership and Vegetable Gardening).  My class tomorrow is 65 miles away from my house...yeck!! 

Watching?

Not watching anything at the moment, but I watched these movies over the weekend while I scrapbooked!  

 

Listening to?

I'm loving the "Genius" on my iPod and love to see what sort of playlist it'll create for me!

Cooking/Baking?  

Tonight we had a Roast with carrots, potatoes, onions, a salad and peaches. Delicious!

Happy you accomplished this week?  

Besides completing having a great time in Washington D.C. with my 13 year old, I had a very nice weekend relaxing before Mr. Steady and my 10 year old got home from their trip!  I was able to finish my 2010 scrapbook and complete the boys 3rd grade/5th grade scrapbook pages for their School Days albums!

Looking forward to next week?

A week of normalcy!   It's going to be busy, but I'm glad that 2 of our trips have been taken (what was I thinking planning 3 vacations within 6 weeks of each other?!?) and I can just focus on normal things for a couple of weeks! 

Thankful for today?

To have everyone home and under the same roof!  I haven't seen Mr. Steady or my youngest in 6 days!


***

I hope everyone has a great Sunday night!  Now, if you'd like to "chat" with us...it's your turn!  Just let us know what you're:

Reading?
Watching?
Listening to?
Cooking/Baking?
Happy you accomplished this week?
Looking forward to next week?
Thankful for today?

 

be back this weekend!

I'm on vacation with my favorite 13 year old! Will be back this weekend...

i've been tagged

I've been tagged by Out My Window and  Q and A Debt and am ready to pass along the fun!

Here are the rules! 

1.  Post these rules!

2.  Answer the 11 questions from the person who tagged you.

3.  Create 11 new questions for the people you tag.

4.  Tag 11 people and link them to your post.

5.  Let them know that you tagged them.

Hmmmm...I'm changing rules 3, 4, and 5.  ALL of you are tagged.  Feel free to play along!  And you can answer the same 11 questions that I'm answering below.  So much for following rules!

1.  What one money lesson do you think all parents should teach their children?

To live within your means and not purchase anything on credit

2.  What is your one indulgence?

Getting my hair done often enough so no one ever sees my gray roots

3.  Is your spouse a saver or spender?

Mr. Steady used to mostly a spender, but has changed.  He and I are pretty similar in the belief that we save as much as we can and budget the rest.  If it's budgeted then we're free to spend!

4.  Who is your favorite movie actor?

Johnny Depp

5.  Are you a left or right brain thinker?

I have the heart of a right brain and the "thinker" of a left brain.

6.  If applicable, what college did you attend?

Stephen F. Austin State University

7.  Next book you'd like to read?

Mockingjay

8.  Coupon clipper nor not?

not for groceries, but I am for larger purchases

9.  Favorite genre of music?

Depends on the time of day and my mood, but I love listening to music and would take my iPod over a TV any day of the week.    I tell ya what...I'll shuffle my iPod and see the first 10 artists/groups that come up (I promise not to skip over any!):  The Black Crows, Kurtis Blow, Robert Earl Keen, Lady Antebellum, Scorpions, Van Halen, Deana Carter, Rod Stewart, Josh Gracin, and Nickelback.

10.  Best money saving vacation?

I'm going to Washington D.C. next week and expect that to be fairly inexpensive.  Also, this past year my youngest and I took a trip to the mountains where we hiked just about the entire time we were gone.  The only expense was food and lodging.  If you enjoy camping, that can be a huge money saving vacation! 

11.  Favorite current TV show?

Modern Family, The Middle, Cougar Town and The Biggest Loser

So - there are my 11 questions and answers!  Remember that you've all been tagged and can play along!  Have a great day!!!

hello again

Goodness!  Where have I been?  I feel like I've been dragging myself through life the past couple of weeks.  I was gung-ho participating in Carla's 2 Challenges, started decluttering my Craft Closest, and then just stopped.  Seriously...just stopped.  Half the stuff from my closet is now sitting on the floor on the Craft Room screaming out to me, "come back!!!"  I stopped tracking/logging $$, stopped decluttering, stopped blogging.  I think my mind needed a break from thinking and doing all of the things I felt like I was supposed to be doing. This week, I've slowly been coming back to "life".

I saw a great quote today that I want to incorporate into my everyday living.

How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our life... (annie dillard)

I saw that and totally loved it!  I feel like I'm sometimes so wrapped up in doing it all just right, that I'm not doing "it" at all.   Does that make sense?    Anyway, I'm kinda back and slowing re-entering my challenges.  I haven't been reading any blogs and can't wait to read through my favorites to see how everyone is doing with their challenges!

So, that's all for today.  Just wanted to say HELLO to everyone and that I miss writing and miss reading all of your blogs!

a great haul from the library

Before December 2009 unless I received a book as a gift, I only read books that came from the library.  Then I received a Kindle for Christmas and all of that changed!  I loved that little device so much and only bought e-books.   I ended up spending about $200 in books during 2010.

This past summer I that decided unless I was going to be on vacation and simply wanted the convenience of reading an e-book that I would go back to borrowing books.   I was simply spending too much money on books.  About the same time, our library started lending e-books that are compatible to the Kindle and through my amazon.com Prime membership I started being able to borrow books from Amazon.  So....I'm back to borrowing about 90% of the books I read!

The past week I ran through the library to find a new book and found so many (see picture above)!  So many that I'm pretty sure I won't be able to read them all before they're due.  So many choices...so little time!

Because they were quick reads, I already read Homemade Home and Guide to Home Empowerment.  I think Mockingjay will be next on my list!

The library is sometimes like the thrift store.  Sometimes I walk out with only one book and sometimes I find a bunch that I want to read!

What are you reading?  And do you purchase or borrow your books?